◆ SpookStack

CRIME Murder in Beverly Hills Benjamin (“Bugsy”) Siegel was a hood with class. His home outside Beverly Hilis was a tourist showpiece. He dined with “Barbara__Hutton, went yachting with £ountess Dorofhy di Frasso. Bugsy was born 42 years ago in New York’s dingy Lower East Side. He got his start as night watchman for a gang of -beer runners. Petulant as @ small boy he went “bughouse” when crossed, but he was cunning, and he earned the respect. of New York he hooked up with™Meyer Lansky, New York ranked him as one of the Big Six.” He beat raps for Tape, carrying concealed Weapons, possessing narcotics, and mur- der. In 1933, Murder, Inc. was branching out. Bugsy, a member, set up western headquarters in Hollywood. Businessman, Bugsy went right to work. He moved in on the gambling at Redondo « Beach, took a cut of the profits at the Agua Caliente race track, muscied in on the numbers racket, cut himself a slice of the offshore gambling fleet and the Culver City dog track, In 1939, Big Greeny Greenberg [a for- mer associate of Bugsy] was found dead. Police arrested Bugsy, In jail, Bugsy lived fine, arranged for meals of steak and pheasant, and had liquor served in his cell to entertain his women visitors, And things took care of themselves. Two State's witnesses suddenly died: the casé against Bugsy died with them. The war years were good to him. He ' cornered the $500,000-a-day California fbookie business, set up a “milk run” fsmugeling Mexican heroin into California, t ¢ In 1946 he opened the swanky $6,000,000 A , flamingo Club in Las Vegas. He made the acquaintance of sultry, dark-haired irginia Hill, 30, who was famed for i Parties that dazzled even Hollywood. The ; story was that thrice-married Virginia | had. a Broaklyn Patron, a gang overlord ee WA I eee City’s top crooks. When Vircrn1a’s House, “Bucsy” Srecer. Through a trellis of roses. who paid her handsomely to stay out of = New York. Bugsy moved his shoes and suits over to Virginia’s house. . But lately things had begun to go sour. The Flamingo lost money. From New York headquarters, the boys arrived to... talk to Bugsy. A couple of hoods were é cut down im the old ’zos gangland style. rf Competition was increasing. The under- ~ world was migrating eagerly into Southern California, . One day last week Bugsy returned to Beverly Hills from Las Vegas. He went to Virginia’s house with his side-kick, Al . Smiley. Virginia wasn’t there; she had * gone to Paris. Bugsy settled onto the sofa g and glanced at the next morning's papers. ; Outside, someone Pushed a .30 caliber - carbine through a rose trellis, drew a care- ; ful bead, put two shots into Bugsy’s head, two into his body. A shot that went ; wild lodged in an oil painting of a nude : woman, holding a wine glass. ‘ ‘ Smt on ey cen ne SI om ate + ama, ALL INFORMAZ ee — r x A A em ee om Ysa, RWS tie; eid eee . Led 7 | Po pga wee a Agere | ACLASSIFIED 45 Bi SP- Leet i AL} Way id